Temporary crossing will be built over collapsed bridge

Talks have taken place with specialist engineers, including some suggested by the Army, over a temporary replacement for the collapsed Eastham Bridge on the River Teme near Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire County Council has revealed.

However, it is still likely to take six months to put in place due to the need for survey work at the site, and permissions to build, that need to be sought.

In the meantime a shuttle bus is being considered to help residents in Eastham village and the surrounding area who are now facing a 10-mile diversion just to get across the River Teme.

The Grade II listed 18th century bridge unexpectedly crumbled into the water below on the afternoon of May 24, just as two minibuses came to cross it.

The cause of the sudden collapse is not yet known, but locals have blamed over-use of the bridge by large lorries.

Councillor Marcus Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for highways at Worcestershire County Council said: "We are doing everything that we can to minimise the disruption caused by the collapse of Eastham Bridge.

"We are working closely with our partners at the Environment Agency, Historic England and at Malvern Hills District Council.

"Our detailed investigations into the cause of the collapse continue. Our contractors are already on site and preparing the groundworks to examine and remove the remains of the bridge.

"Eastham Bridge was last inspected in December 2015 and Worcestershire County Council was not alerted to any concerns about the stability of the bridge. "Until our investigations are completed I am not able to speculate about what caused the bridge to collapse.

"We have held discussions with specialist engineering companies, including the one suggested by the Army.

"Following those talks I can confirm that we will be building a temporary bridge on the site before we construct a permanent replacement.

"But this is a complex building project. The area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the bridge was Grade II listed.

"To complete the survey work, the design, securing the statutory approvals and completing the build is going to take approximately six months.

"In the meantime we will be talking to local residents and to farmers about what we can do to minimise the disruption and that may include us running a shuttle bus service if that is what residents want," he said.

Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, previously urged the council to talk to the Army concerning its expertise in building temporary bridges quickly, especially in the light of the fact that a temporary military "Bailey bridge" was installed across the Teme in the Eastham area during the Second World War.